Study: In 2024, Africa's gaming market revenue surpassed $1.8 billion
The African gaming market is growing six times faster than the global average, according to findings from Carry1st and Newzoo. Last year, its revenue reached $1.8 billion, reflecting a growth of 12.4%.
For comparison, the global growth rate in 2024 was 2.1%.
According to the study, the largest amount of money spent on games in Africa was by residents of Egypt ($368 million), Nigeria ($300 million), and South Africa ($278 million). Eritrea and Niger had the fastest-growing gaming revenue, while Equatorial Guinea and the Seychelles showed the slowest growth.
The researchers also estimated that the vast majority of the African gaming market's revenue last year came from mobile games—90% or $1.6 billion. Carry1st and Newzoo did not specify the amounts spent by Africans on PC games versus console games.
According to Spencer Ma, Head of Business Development at Carry1st, shooters like Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Bloodstrike, and Free Fire are very popular in Africa. Additionally, residents of the continent are actively playing Candy Crush and Roblox.
By the end of 2024, Africa had a total of 349 million gamers, which is a 10% increase from 2023. Of these, 304 million primarily played mobile games.